U.S. patent application number 12/794479 was filed with the patent office on 2012-01-12 for vehicle frame assembly.
This patent application is currently assigned to HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Eric Boettcher, Jamison Weirup.
Application Number | 20120007373 12/794479 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45438052 |
Filed Date | 2012-01-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120007373 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Boettcher; Eric ; et
al. |
January 12, 2012 |
VEHICLE FRAME ASSEMBLY
Abstract
A frame assembly for a vehicle includes a front end frame
assembly extending laterally across the vehicle and disposed
adjacent a forward end of the vehicle, and a bumper beam extending
laterally across the vehicle and spaced apart longitudinally
forward of the front end frame assembly. A first set of spaced
apart inner attachment structures connects the bumper beam to the
front end frame assembly. A second set of spaced apart outer
attachment structures also connects the bumper beam to the front
end frame assembly. The second set of outer attachment structures
is spaced apart from and flanks the first set of inner attachment
structures.
Inventors: |
Boettcher; Eric; (Columbus,
OH) ; Weirup; Jamison; (Marysville, OH) |
Assignee: |
HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
Tokyo
JP
|
Family ID: |
45438052 |
Appl. No.: |
12/794479 |
Filed: |
July 8, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
293/132 ;
296/203.02 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60R 19/24 20130101;
B62D 25/082 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
293/132 ;
296/203.02 |
International
Class: |
B60R 19/24 20060101
B60R019/24; B62D 25/08 20060101 B62D025/08 |
Claims
1. A frame assembly for a vehicle, comprising: a front end frame
assembly extending laterally across the vehicle and disposed
adjacent a forward end of the vehicle; a bumper beam extending
laterally across the vehicle and spaced apart longitudinally
forward of the front end frame assembly; a first set of spaced
apart inner attachment structures connecting the bumper beam to the
front end body assembly; a second set of spaced apart outer
attachment structures connecting the bumper beam to the front end
body assembly, the second set of outer attachment structures spaced
apart from and flanking the first set of inner attachment
structures.
2. The frame assembly of claim 1 further including: a pair of inner
side members extending longitudinally rearwardly from the front end
frame assembly, each of the pair of inner side members aligned with
a corresponding one of the pair of side members
3. The frame assembly of claim 2 further including: a pair of outer
side members extending longitudinally rearwardly from the front end
frame assembly and flanking the pair of inner side members, and a
pair of outrigger members laterally connecting the pair of inner
side members to the pair of outer side members, the first set of
inner attachment structures each having a forward end secured to
the bumper beam and a rear end secured to a respective one of the
pair of outrigger members, and the second set of outer attachment
structures each having a forward end secured to the bumper beam and
a rear end secured to a respective one of the pair of outrigger
members.
4. The frame assembly of claim 3 wherein each of said pair of
outrigger members has a forward substantially vertically oriented
wall to which adjacent ones of the inner and outer attachment
structures are mounted.
5. The frame assembly of claim 3 wherein each of the pair of
outrigger members overlaps joints between adjacent ones of the
inner and outer attachment structures and the front end frame
assembly.
6. The frame assembly of claim 3 further including: a pair of
under-bumper brackets having respective mounting portions to which
the outer attachment structures are connected and respective
extension portions depending from the mounting portions for
receiving under-bumper loads, each under-bumper bracket directly
connected to an adjacent outrigger member and to an adjacent outer
side member.
7. The frame assembly of claim 2 wherein the front end frame
assembly includes: a lower bulkhead extending laterally across the
vehicle; and a pair of support members extending substantially
vertically upwardly from the lower bulkhead, each of the first set
of inner attachment structures laterally aligned with a
corresponding one of the pair of support members.
8. The frame assembly of claim 7 wherein the front end frame
assembly further includes: an upper bulkhead extending laterally
between upper ends of the pair of support members; and a pair of
reinforcing members connecting the upper ends of the pair of
support members and opposite ends of the upper bulkhead to the pair
of outer side members.
9. The frame assembly of claim 2 wherein each of the inner side
members has a substantially straight line construction with
thicknesses that progressively increase as the inner side members
extend longitudinally rearwardly from the front end frame
assembly.
10. The frame assembly of claim 9 wherein a cross section of each
of the inner side members is heptagonal or octagonal to maintain
straight line deformation.
11. The frame assembly of claim 1 wherein each of the pair of outer
attachment structures includes: a base plate oriented in a vertical
plane for mounting to the front end frame assembly; and a curved
portion extending longitudinally forwardly from the base plate for
mounting to the bumper beam.
12. The frame assembly of claim 11 wherein the curved portion has a
convex side directed laterally outwardly and a concave side
directed laterally inwardly.
13. The frame assembly of claim 11 wherein a distal end of the
curved portion defines a vertically extending throughole that is in
registry with apertures defined in upper and lower walls of the
bumper beam for receipt of an elongated fastener for securing the
bumper beam to the outer attachment structure.
14. The frame assembly of claim 1 wherein the pair of outer
attachment structures connect opposite ends of the bumper beam to
the front end frame assembly.
15. The frame assembly of claim 1 each of the first set of spaced
apart inner attachment structures has a crush can construction,
including: at least two substantially vertical walls extending from
the bumper beam to the front end frame assembly; a first end wall
disposed at a forward end of the at least two substantially
vertical walls; and a second end wall disposed at a rearward end of
the at least two substantially vertical walls.
16. The frame assembly of claim 15 wherein the at least two
substantially vertical walls includes: two spaced apart outer
walls; and two closely spaced inner walls.
17. The frame assembly of claim 16 wherein the first end wall
includes a first longitudinally protruding portion received between
one of the outer walls and an adjacent one of the inner walls and a
second longitudinally protruding portion received between the other
of the outer walls and the other of the inner walls, the protruding
portions including vertically extending througholes that are in
registry with apertures defined in upper and lower walls of the
bumper beam for receipt of respective elongated fasteners for
securing the bumper beam to the inner attachment structure.
18. The frame assembly of claim 1 wherein the front end frame
assembly includes a pair of under-ride brackets to which the pair
of outer attachment structures is attached, each of the under-ride
brackets has a mounting portion to which a corresponding one of the
outer attachment structures is mounted and an extension portion
extending downward from the mounting portion for receiving impact
loads received under the bumper beam.
19. The frame assembly of claim 1 further including: at least one
tow hook disposed on the bumper beam at a location laterally
aligned with at least one of the inner attachment members.
20. The frame assembly of claim 19 wherein the at least one tow
hook includes: a base plate received inside the bumper beam
adjacent an interior surface of a vertical wall of the bumper beam;
a stem extending from the base plate through an aperture defined in
the vertical wall of the bumper beam; and a hooked or looped
portion disposed distally on the stem adjacent an outside surface
of the vertical wall of the bumper beam.
21. A bumper beam assembly for a vehicle, comprising: a bumper beam
extending laterally across the vehicle; at least one outer
attachment structure connects one end of the bumper beam to an
associated frame structure of the vehicle; and at least one inner
attachment structure further connects the same one end of the
bumper beam to the associated frame structure, the at least one
inner attachment structure laterally spaced inward from the at
least one outer attachment structure.
22. The bumper beam assembly of claim 21 wherein the at least one
outer attachment structure has a base plate secured to the
associated frame structure and a curved portion extending between
the base plate and the bumper beam, and wherein the at least one
inner attachment structure has a crush can construction.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] Exemplary embodiments herein relate to vehicle frame
assemblies, and more particularly relate to bumper beam assemblies
and mounting arrangements for the bumper beam assemblies.
[0002] Vehicle frame assemblies often include a front end frame
assembly extending laterally across a vehicle and disposed adjacent
a forward end of the vehicle. The front end frame assembly can be a
forward portion of the vehicle frame that defines a front wall of
the vehicle's engine compartment. A bumper beam also extends
laterally across the vehicle and is spaced apart longitudinally
forward of the front and frame assembly. In a prior art
construction, the bumper beam is attached to the front end frame
assembly at opposite ends of the bumper beam by single attachment
structures. More particularly, a first attachment structure is
provided at one end of the bumper beam for attaching that end to
the front end frame assembly and a second attachment structure is
provided at a second, opposite end of the bumper assembly for
attaching that end to the front end frame assembly. These
attachment structures can be provided at or adjacent the respective
ends of the bumper assembly, but are typically the only structures
connecting the bumper beam to the front end frame assembly.
[0003] The attachment structures connecting the bumper beam to the
front end frame assembly can each be in the form of a crush can for
providing controlled deformation when the bumper beam is impacted
by an external force (e.g., a front end collision). However, it can
be difficult to design the crush can attachment structures to
address both low speed and high speed crash conditions.
SUMMARY
[0004] According to one aspect, a frame assembly for a vehicle
includes a front end frame assembly extending laterally across the
vehicle and disposed adjacent a forward end of the vehicle, and a
bumper beam extending laterally across the vehicle and spaced apart
longitudinally forward of the front end frame assembly. A first set
of spaced apart inner attachment structures connects the bumper
beam to the front end frame assembly. A second set of spaced apart
outer attachment structures also connects the bumper beam to the
front end frame assembly. The second set of outer attachment
structures is spaced apart from and flanks the first set of inner
attachment structures.
[0005] According to another aspect, a bumper beam assembly for a
vehicle includes a bumper beam extending laterally across the
vehicle, at least one outer attachment structure and at least one
inner attachment structure. The at least one outer attachment
structure connects one end of the bumper beam to an associated
frame structure of the vehicle. The at least one inner attachment
structure further connects the same one end of the bumper beam to
the associated frame structure. The at least one inner attachment
structure is laterally spaced inward from the at least one outer
attachment structure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a front frame assembly for a
vehicle having a bumper beam attached to a front end frame
assembly.
[0007] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the front frame
assembly.
[0008] FIG. 3 is a partial top plan view of one end of the bumper
beam attached to the front end frame assembly by inner and outer
attachment structures.
[0009] FIG. 4 is a partial section view of the bumper beam attached
to the front end frame assembly.
[0010] FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of the bumper beam
attached to the front end frame assembly.
[0011] FIG. 6 is an inside perspective view of the bumper beam
attached to the front end frame assembly.
[0012] FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view, shown in cross
section, of the bumper beam attached to the front end frame
assembly.
[0013] FIG. 8 is a partial side perspective view of the bumper beam
attached to the front end frame assembly.
[0014] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an under-bumper bracket
shown in isolation from the front end frame assembly of FIGS.
1-8.
[0015] FIG. 10 is a partial plan view of a bumper beam attached to
a front end frame assembly with the bumper beam including a tow
hook according to an alternate embodiment.
[0016] FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view of a bumper beam
attached to a front end frame assembly with the bumper beam
including a tow hook according to another alternate embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] Referring now to the drawings, wherein the showings are for
purposes of illustrating one or more exemplary embodiments and not
for purposes of limiting same, FIG. 1 illustrates a frame assembly
for a vehicle, and particularly a front frame assembly 10 of the
overall frame assembly. As is known and understood by those skilled
in the art, the front frame assembly 10 can be secured to a floor
frame assembly (not shown) disposed longitudinally rearwardly of
the front frame assembly and a vehicle body (not shown) can be
attached to the front frame assembly and the floor frame assembly.
The front frame assembly 10 can include a front end frame assembly
or sub-assembly 12 that extends laterally across the vehicle and is
disposed at or adjacent a forward end of the vehicle. The front
frame assembly 10 typically defines an engine compartment and the
front end frame assembly 12 can be those components of the front
frame assembly 10 that define a forward end of the engine
compartment.
[0018] A bumper beam assembly 14 is disposed at a forward end of
the front frame assembly 10. In particular, the bumper beam
assembly 14 includes a bumper beam 16 extending laterally across
the vehicle. The bumper beam 16 is spaced apart longitudinally
forward of the front end frame assembly 12. As shown in FIGS. 3-8,
at least one inner attachment structure (e.g., attachment structure
18) connects one end of the bumper beam 16 to the frame structure
of the vehicle (i.e., the front end frame assembly 12) and at least
one outer attachment structure (e.g., attachment structure 22)
further connects the same one end of the bumper beam 16 to the
frame structure. As will be described in more detail below, the at
least one inner attachment structure is laterally spaced inward
from the at least one outer attachment structure.
[0019] More particularly, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the
illustrated embodiment a first set of spaced apart inner attachment
structures 18, 20 connect the bumper beam 16 to the front end frame
assembly 12. A second set of spaced apart attachment structures 22,
24 further connect the bumper beam 16 to the front end frame
assembly 12. As shown, the second set of outer attachment
structures 22, 24 are spaced apart from and flank the first set of
inner attachment structures 18, 20. More specifically, one set of
inner and outer attachment structures 18, 22 connects a first end
of the bumper beam 16 to the front end frame assembly 12 and
another set of inner and outer attachment structures 20, 24
connects a second, opposite end of the bumper beam 16 to the front
end frame assembly 12.
[0020] The front frame assembly 10 further includes a pair of inner
side members 30, 32 extending longitudinally rearwardly from the
front end frame assembly 12. As shown, each of the pair of inner
side members 30, 32 can be aligned with a corresponding one of the
first set of spaced apart inner attachment structures 18,20. More
specifically, the side member 30 is laterally aligned with the
attachment structure 18 and the side member 32 is laterally aligned
with the attachment structure 20. This can facilitate efficient
transfer of load forces from the bumper beam 16 to the inner side
members 30, 32 during a crash event. In addition, as shown in FIG.
7, the inner side members 30, 32 can include a plurality of spaced
bulkheads 33 disposed along respective longitudinal lengths
thereof.
[0021] The front frame assembly 10 can further include a pair of
outer side members 34, 36 extending longitudinally rearwardly and
angularly upwardly from the front end frame assembly 10. The outer
side members 34, 36 flank the pair of inner side members 30, 32.
The front frame assembly 10 of the illustrated embodiment, and
particularly the front end frame assembly 12, can also include a
pair of outrigger assemblies or members 38, 40 laterally connecting
the pair of inner side members 30, 32 to the pair of outer side
members 34, 36. Outrigger extension members 116, 118 can also be
used to facilitate mounting of the outriggers members 38, 40 to
their respective outer side members 34, 36. The outrigger members
38, 40, and the joints formed by the outrigger members 38, 40 with
surrounding components, particularly to the outer side members 34,
36, can improve the sustainability of the front end frame assembly
12 and thus the front frame assembly 10 during front offset
collisions. The bumper beam 16 in conjunction with the outrigger
members 38, 40 can provide improved load distribution across the
front of the frame assembly 10.
[0022] As shown, the first set of inner attachment structures 20,
22 each have a forward end secured to the bumper beam 16 and a rear
end secured to a respective one of the pair of outrigger members
38, 40. Likewise, the second set of outer attachment structures 34,
36 each have a forward end secured to the bumper beam 16 and a rear
end secured to a respective one of the pair of outrigger members
38, 40. As specifically shown in FIGS. 3-8 with respect to the
outrigger member 38, each of the outrigger members 38, 40 has a
forward substantially vertically oriented wall 38a, 40a to which
adjacent ones of the inner and outer attachment structures 18-24
are mounted (e.g., attachment structures 18 and 22 are mounted to
the outrigger member 38 and the attachment structures 20, 24 are
mounted to the forward wall 40A of the out rigger member 40).
Advantageously, each of the pair of outrigger members 38, 40
overlaps joints formed between adjacent ones of the inner and outer
attachment structures 30-36 and the front end frame assembly
12.
[0023] The front end frame assembly 12 can further include a lower
bulkhead 50 extending laterally across the vehicle and a pair of
support members 52, 54 extending substantially vertically upwardly
from the lower bulkhead 50. As shown, each of the first set of
inner attachment structures 18, 20 can be laterally aligned with a
corresponding one of the pair of support members 52, 54. In
particular, attachment structure 18 can be aligned with the support
member 52 and the attachment structure 20 can be aligned with the
support member 54. The front end frame assembly 12 can further
include an upper bulkhead 56 extending laterally between upper ends
of the pair of support members 52, 54. Additionally, a pair of
reinforcing members 58, 60 can connect the upper ends of the pair
of support members 52, 54 and opposite ends of the upper bulkhead
56 to the pair of outer side members 34, 36.
[0024] Each of the inner side members 30, 32 can have a
substantially straight line construction with thicknesses and/or
lateral cross-sectional areas (i.e., cross-sectional areas taken
laterally across the side members 30, 32) that progressively
increase as the respective inner side members 30, 32 extend
longitudinally rearwardly from the front and frame assembly 12.
This construction allows the inner side members 30, 32 to deform
longitudinally during a crash event. This allows for increased
energy absorption while minimizing intrusion of the side frame
members into the vehicle cabin (i.e., beyond illustrated firewall
62) during a vehicle crash condition. In the illustrated
embodiment, the side members 30, 32 include both progressive
increases in thicknesses and lateral cross-sectional areas. The
progressive increases in thickness and lateral cross-sectional area
can occur through the use of longitudinal sections, which
themselves have progressively increased thicknesses and lateral
cross-sectional areas relative to one another as the inner side
members 30, 32 extend longitudinally rearwardly from the front end
frame assembly 12.
[0025] As best shown in FIG. 6 with respect to the inner side
member 32, for example, the inner side members 30, 32 can be formed
of a first section (e.g., first section 32a), a second section
(e.g., 32b), and a third section (e.g., third section 32c). The
second section can have an increased thickness relative to the
first section and the third section can have an increased thickness
relative to the second section. In addition, the second section can
have a lateral cross-sectional area that is greater than that of
the first section and the third section can have a lateral
cross-sectional area that is greater than that of the second
section. Also, a shape of the lateral cross-sections of each of the
inner side members 30, 32 can be heptagonal or octagonal to
maintain the advantageous straight line deformation mentioned
herein above. In the illustrated embodiment, the inner side members
30, 32 employ a heptagonal cross section. In one embodiment, the
first and second sections of the side members 30, 32 can be tuned
to provide axial crush, whereas the third sections can be tuned to
have a bending crush.
[0026] As already mentioned, the frame assembly of the illustrated
embodiment advantageously employs a double attachment at each end
of the bumper beam 16 whereby the bumper beam 16 is attached to the
front end frame assembly 12. The double attachment is provided by
the first and second attachment structures 18-24 in the illustrated
embodiment. That is, adjacent inner and outer attachment structures
18, 22 connect one end of the bumper beam 16 to the front end frame
assembly 12 and adjacent attachment structures 20, 24 connect a
second, opposite end of the bumper beam 16 to the front end frame
assembly 12. Each set of inner and outer attachment structures
20-24 are arranged such that the attachment structures can work
together to meet low speed and high speed energy absorption targets
within a given stroke while also minimizing overall weight of the
vehicle's frame assembly. This is achieved in part due to increased
static stiffness of the bumper beam assembly 14, which is provided
(at least in part) by the employment of double attachment
structures at each end of the bumper beam 16.
[0027] Having the outer attachment structures 22, 24 in addition to
the inner attachment structures 18, 20 for connecting the bumper
beam 16 to the front end frame assembly 12 enables the bumper beam
16 to be capable of handling greater bending moment loading. More
specifically, ends of the bumper beam 16 are less susceptible to
simply pivoting about a single crush can type attachment at each
end of the bumper beam due to the provision of the secondary outer
attachment structures 22, 24. This allows the bumper beam 16 to be
constructed with a reduced weight, while still providing superior
low speed crash performance as well as more stable mid-speed crush
of the primary or inner attachment structures 18, 20.
[0028] To facilitate such improvements, in the illustrated
embodiment, each of the pair of outer attachment structures 22, 24
includes a base plate and a curved portion. As the attachment
structures 22, 24 are mirrored relative to one another, only the
attachment structure 22 will be described in further detail herein,
but all details discussed in reference to the attachment structure
22 are applicable to the attachment structure 24. Referring
specifically to FIGS. 3, 4 and 8, the attachment structure 22
includes base plate 70, which is oriented in a vertical plane for
mounting to the front end frame assembly 12, and curved portion 72
extending longitudinally forwardly from the base plate 70 for
mounting to the bumper beam 16. In the illustrated embodiment, the
curved portion 72 has a convex side 72a directed laterally
outwardly and a concave side 72b directed laterally inwardly.
[0029] A distal end 72c of the curved portion 72 defines a
vertically extending throughole 74 that is in registry with
apertures 76, 78 defined in upper and lower walls 16a, 16b of the
bumper beam 16 for receipt of an elongated fastener 80 for securing
the bumper beam 16 to the outer attachment structure 22. By way of
example, the fastener 80 can be an elongated bolt that is received
through the apertures 76, 78 and the throughole 74 and has a
threaded member, such as a nut 81 (FIG. 5), secured on a distal end
thereof. The base plate 70 can have a plurality of apertures 82
defined therein for receipt of fasteners 84 (FIG. 1) that secure
the outer attachment structure 22 to the adjacent outrigger member
38. By this arrangement, the outer attachment structure 22, 24
connect opposite ends of the bumper beam 16 to the front end frame
assembly 12.
[0030] Each of the first set of spaced apart inner attachment
structures 18, 20 can have a crush can construction. Like the outer
attachment structures 22, 24, the inner attachment structures 18,
20 can be mirror images of one another and thus only the outer
attachment structure 22 will be described in further detail herein
but all details relating to the outer attachment structure 22 can
be applied to the outer attachment structure 24. With particular
reference to FIG. 4, the inner attachment structure 18 can include
at least two substantially vertical walls extending from the bumper
beam 16 to the front end frame assembly 12. In the illustrated
embodiment, the at least two substantially vertical walls include
two spaced apart outer walls 90, 92 and two closely spaced inner
walls 94, 96.
[0031] A first end wall 98 can be disposed at a forward end of the
walls 90-96 and a second end wall 100 can be disposed at a rearward
end of the walls 90-96. The forward end wall 98 is received inside
the bumper beam 16 adjacent an interior surface of vertical wall
16c of the bumper beam 16. That is, the first end wall 98 is
received within a recess defined by the C-shaped walls 16a, 16b,
16c of the bumper beam 16. In the illustrated embodiment, the first
end wall 98 includes a first longitudinally protruding portion 98a
received between one of the outer walls (i.e., outer wall 90) and
an adjacent one of the inner walls (i.e., inner walls 94) and a
second longitudinally protruding portion 98b received between the
other of the outer walls (i.e., outer wall 92) and the other of the
inner walls (i.e., inner wall 94). As shown, the protruding
portions 98a, 98b can include vertically extending througholes that
are in registry with apertures defined in the upper and lower walls
16a, 16b of the bumper beam 16 for receipt of respective elongated
fasteners 106 for securing the bumper beam 16 to the inner
attachment structure 18. The first end wall 98 can function to
prevent the trim edges of the inner attachment structure 18 from
more easily shearing through the bumper beam 16. The second end
wall 100 can include a flange 100a for overlapping onto the
adjacent outrigger member 38, in particularly an upper wall 38b
thereof.
[0032] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the
inner attachment structures 18, 20 have a more substantial
construction than the outer attachment structures 22, 24. In this
regard, the inner attachment structures 18, 20 of the illustrated
embodiment serve as primary attachment structures for the bumper
beam 16 and the outer attachment structures 22, 24 serve as
secondary attachment structures for the bumper beam 16. In a crash
condition, the outer attachment structures 22, 24 of the
illustrated embodiment are likely to encounter mostly tensile
loading in low speed events, with some loading compliance helping
to balance the dynamic response of the bumper beam 16 and the inner
attachment structures 18, 20. In mid-speed and higher energy level
frontal crash events, the outer attachment structures 22, 24 can
have their loading change from tensile to compressive loading. This
compressive loading, at sufficient energy levels, can allow both
the inner and outer attachment structures 18, 24 to absorb kinetic
energy during the crash event.
[0033] With reference to FIG. 2, the front end frame assembly can
additionally include a pair of under-ride or under-bumper
compatibility brackets 110, 112 to which the pair of outer
attachment structures 18, 20 is attached. The brackets 110, 112 can
be mirror images of one another and thus only the bracket 110 will
be described with further detail herein but all details discussed
herein relating to the bracket 110 can be applied to the bracket
112. With additional reference to FIGS. 5 and 9, the bracket 110
has a forward wall 114 including an upper mounting portion 114a
through which apertures 116 are defined and a lower extension
portion depending from the mounting portion 114a for receiving
impact loads received under the bumper beam 16 (i.e., under-bumper
loads). The mounting portion 114a has the corresponding outer
attachment structure 18 mounted thereto. As shown with respect to
the bracket 110, each under-bumper bracket 110, 112 directly
connects to an adjacent outrigger member 34 or 36 and to an
adjacent outer side member 116 or 118 (i.e., the bracket 110 is
directly connected to the adjacent outrigger member 38 and to the
adjacent outer side member 34). The brackets 110, 112 are provided
to distribute loads from a smaller vehicle that might under-ride
the bumper beam 16 thereby maintaining sufficient structural
overlap and distributing impact load into the overall front end
assembly 12.
[0034] In addition, the bracket 110 connects the adjacent outrigger
member 38 to an extension member 116 which facilitates connection
between the outrigger member 38 and the outer side member 34. The
bracket 112 similarly connects the adjacent outrigger member 40 to
an extension member 118 which facilitates connection between the
outrigger member 40 and the outer side member 36. Fasteners, such
as elongated bolts 84 (FIG. 1) can be received through the
apertures 82 in the outer attachment structure 22 and through the
apertures 116 in the bracket 110 when in registry with one another
for securing the outer attachment member 22 to the bracket 110.
These same fasteners can further connect the outer attachment
structure 22 to the outrigger member 38 and the outrigger extension
member 116.
[0035] The bracket 110 can additionally include a side wall 120
which is oriented approximately orthogonally to the front wall 114
in the illustrated embodiment. The side wall 120 can be connected
to the outer side member 34. For example, the side wall 120 can be
spot welded to the outer side member 34 and apertures 122 can be
used as datum holes for aligning the bracket and the outer side
member 34 before welding, though this is not required.
Alternatively, the side wall 120 can be connected to the outer side
member using other known connecting means, such as suitable
fasteners for example. The bracket 110 can further include an upper
wall 124 orthogonally oriented relative to the front wall 114 and
the side wall 120 in the illustrated embodiment. The top wall 124
can overlap or be overlapped by the top wall of the outrigger
member 38 and/or a top wall 126 of the extension member 116.
[0036] With reference to FIG. 10, a bumper beam assembly 14' is
schematically illustrated with a tow hook assembly 130 according to
an alternate embodiment. Though not shown, the tow hook assembly
130 could be employed in the bumper beam assembly 14 of the
illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 1-9, though this is not required.
In FIG. 10, like reference numbers are used for like components and
like reference numbers with a prime symbol are used for similar
components (i.e., components of FIG. 10 that are like or similar to
components illustrated in FIGS. 1-9). As shown in FIG. 10, at least
one two hooks 130 can be disposed on bumper beam 16' at a location
laterally aligned with at least one inner attachment member 22'. In
one example, a tow hook assembly 130 could be provided with each
inner attachment structure, though the bumper beam 16' could be
secured by inner attachment structures and outer attachment
structures if described herein with reference to the bumper beam
16. The tow hook assembly 130 can include a mounting plate 132 and
a hook member 134 attached to a forward end of the mounting plate
132. The hook member 134 can include a substantially vertically
extending bar (not shown) to which an associated towing mechanism
136 can be secured.
[0037] FIG. 11 shows an alternate construction for the tow hook
according to another alternate embodiment. The tow hook assembly
138 of FIG. 11 can include a base plate 140 received inside the
bumper beam 16' adjacent an interior surface of a forward or
vertical wall 16c' of the bumper beam 16. The tow hook assembly 138
can also include a stem 142 extending from the base plate 140
through an aperture (not shown) defined in the vertical wall 16c of
the bumper beam 16' with a hooked or looped portion 144 disposed
distally on the stem 142 adjacent an outside surface of the
vertical wall 16c of the bumper beam 16'. Both tow hook assemblies
130, 138 can be permanently installed on the vehicle frame thereby
providing customers immediate access when towing is necessary.
[0038] It will be appreciated that various of the above-disclosed
and other features and functions, or alternatives or varieties
thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different
systems or applications. Also that various presently unforeseen or
unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations or
improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in
the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following
claims.
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